Joint Press Statement at the end of Home Secretary Level Talks between India and Pakistan on Terrorism and Drug Trafficking
Date: August 30, 2005
Place: New Delhi, India

August 30, 2005

“The second round of Home Secretary level talks between India and Pakistan on Terrorism and Drug Trafficking, as a part of the ongoing Composite Dialogue process, were held in New Delhi on August 29-30, 2005. The Indian delegation was led by Shri V.K. Duggal, Union Home Secretary while the Pakistani delegation was led by Syed Kamal Shah, Secretary, Ministry of Interior.

The talks were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere and the deliberations were frank and forthright. Both sides reiterated their commitment to combat terrorism and re-emphasised the need for effective steps for the complete elimination of this menace.

Both sides underlined the need for cooperation between the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Investigation Agency and agreed that experts from both sides would meet at mutually convenient dates in the near future, to work out modalities for the implementation of the arrangement for cooperation between the two agencies agreed earlier.

Both sides agreed to implement the decisions arrived at by the Foreign Secretaries in December 2004 on prisoners and reiterated their commitment to provide immediate notification of arrests made by either side, provide consular access to all persons within three months of arrest and release prisoners immediately after completion of sentence and nationality verification. They also agreed to release on 12 September, 2005 all fishermen and civilian prisoners who have completed their sentence and whose national status has been confirmed.

Both sides noted with satisfaction the continuing cooperation and exchange of information between narcotics control agencies of both countries and agreed that the Memorandum of Understanding between them will be finalised and signed shortly. The MOU aims at having a regular institutional mechanism in place to intensify mutual cooperation and liaison on drug control matters.

The Pakistan Interior Secretary and members of his delegation called on the Home Minister, Government of India, Shri Shivraj V. Patil. The two sides agreed to continue the discussions within the framework of the Composite Dialogue Process”.

New Delhi
August 30, 2005